45-Minute Skinny Shepherds Pie

Is it really already time for St. Patrick’s Day? I feel like New Years Day was yesterday…I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!

St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year. I look forward to the green beer, pinching friends that forgot to wear green & stuffing my face with all of my favorite Irish dishes!

One of my go-to dishes is Shepherds Pie! There is nothing better than warm beef & veggies smothered by cheesy mashed potatoes!

This year I decided to try my hand at making Shepherds Pie my way…aka quick, simple & a healthier version of the classic. I don’t typically pat myself on the back, but this time I might have too. This Skinny Shepherds Pie is full of flavor, takes less than an hour to make & is HALF the calories of the classic dish! I can’t wait to make it again next Saturday to celebrate!

How to make this simple 45-Minute Skinny Shepherds Pie:

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. If you don’t have them pre-cut already, dice your onion now.

Next, create the “thickening” agent for your shepherds pie. To do this, simply combine 1 tbsp corn starch with 1 cup of beef broth. Stir together and set to the side until it is needed.

Grab a non-stick pan and heat to medium-high heat. Add diced onions and sauté for a few minutes before adding in your lean ground beef. Cook both until your beef is browned & your onions are translucent. Finally, add in minced garlic & cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

To finish the “bottom layer” of your skinny shepherds pie, add in your corn starch/beef broth mixture. Stir all ingredients together and allow to thicken for 3-4 minutes on low heat.

I whipped up a batch of my Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (minus the nutritional yeast) for my shepherds pie “topper”. Using cauliflower mash instead of classic mashed potatoes helped cut half the carbs & calories out of the dish without losing an ounce of flavor!

**While the nutritional yeast would taste just as good with this dish, I was craving super cheesy mash so I added in 1 cup of cheddar cheese!**

You can make homemade cauliflower mash or pre-made, whichever you prefer, just make sure that you accommodate time for this when preparing your meal.

Into a small bowl, add beef broth and corn starch. Mix and set aside until needed.

Using a large non-stick frying pan, sauté diced onions on medium-high heat.

When onions have been cooking for a few minutes, add in your lean ground beef. Cook until onions are translucent & beef is thoroughly cooked. Finally, add in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

**If using pre-made cauliflower mash wait to heat until beef is cooked, if not, make cauliflower mash before starting your Skinny Shepherds Pie. This may add time an extra 20 minutes to the recipe time.**